Venezuela earthquake: UN says response demands 'massive collective effort'
The United Nations is fully mobilised to support Venezuela after the country's strongest earthquake in over a century killed at least 164 people and destroyed multiple buildings near the capital, the UN aid chief said on Thursday.
Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement that he had spoken with interim President Delcy Rodriguez and that the UN is urgently assessing what is needed.
The earthquake, which struck west of Caracas on Wednesday evening, was the most powerful recorded in Venezuela since 1900. Rescue teams are working to search for survivors amid the rubble.
Fletcher said the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA is coordinating the rapid deployment of urban search and rescue teams from across the international community. He added that he is sending a rapid response team to reinforce the OCHA team in the country.
Welcoming the international outpouring of aid, Fletcher stressed that the coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help affected communities.
The UN aid chief also noted that even before the earthquake, nearly eight million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. 'This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities,' he warned.
